iPhone 16e is official with A18 chip and Apple's first in-house modem
The rumors were true - the iPhone SE is dead. The latest member of the line isn"t called that anymore, so as to not be perceived as a lesser model (BMW 1 Series, anyone?). Thus, a new member has joined the iPhone 16 family - meet the iPhone 16e.
"e" for "economical"? Perhaps, although as usual the EU is getting the bitter end of the pricing stick. We"ll get to that later. For now, let"s describe all the amazing innovations that Apple has packed into its latest cheaper iPhone. And it all starts with - you guessed it - support for Apple Intelligence.
It"s there, and the iPhone 14 doesn"t have it, so that should be reason enough to pick this iPhone 14 lookalike over the iPhone 14 itself. You do however lose one rear camera in the process, because the cheap iPhone still needs to be easily discernible from afar as the cheap iPhone.
The iPhone 16e is powered by the A18 chip, and has a 48 MP "2-in-1 camera system", Apple says. It"s just one camera though, no way around that. Still, it can do lossless 2x zoom, as per Apple"s claims.
iPhone 16e official images
There"s a 6.1-inch "Super Retina XDR" OLED screen with Ceramic Shield on top, "the toughest back glass in a smartphone", and Apple promises "the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone", which is a very, very specific claim. It apparently lasts "six hours longer" than the iPhone 11 (hi, 2019) and "up to 12 hours longer than all generations of iPhone SE", whatever that means.
There"s Face ID too, USB-C, and of course iOS 18 on board with the full suite of Apple Intelligence features that are also available to the other members of the iPhone 16 family. The iPhone 16e has the customizable Action Button, but not the Camera Control.
The phone has Apple"s long-rumored first-ever in-house developed modem, the C1. It also supports satellite connectivity, including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via Satellite.
The iPhone 16e will only be available in white and black. It will go up for pre-order on February 21 and will be released on February 28. It will come in three storage versions: 128GB for $599 / €699 / £599 / INR 59,900, 256GB for $699 / €829 / £699 / INR 69,900, and 512GB for $899 / €1,079 / £899 / INR 89,900.
